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(Pocket-lint) – Oppo is serious about the foldable phone market, even if it’s arrived a little later than the competition to the party. So serious – in fact – that it’s finally launching one of its foldable smartphones outside of China.
The Oppo Find N2 Flip will be launched in global markets in early 2023, and it will compete directly with the popular Galaxy Z Flip 4. Will it be able to steal Samsung’s foldable crown or will it is it a flop?
Design and manufacture
- Find N2 Flip: 166.2 x 75.2 x 7.5mm (open) – 85.5 x 75.2 x 16mm (closed)
- Z Flip 4: 165.2 x 71.9 x 6.9mm (open) – 84.9 x 71.9 x 15.9-17.1mm (closed)
- Find N2 Flip: 191 grams – Glass and aluminum construction
- Z Flip 4: 187 grams – Glass and aluminum – IPX8 water resistance
What’s interesting about the Find N2 Flip is that Oppo has come up with another design for a flexible flip phone, offering a look that’s quite different from what other manufacturers have come up with. Specifically: the front cover looks very unique.
This is – of course – mainly due to Oppo’s decision to go with a vertical rectangular screen on the front which takes up almost all the vertical space. We’ll talk more about the screen in a moment, but it creates a very unique appearance that you won’t be able to confuse with Samsung’s anytime soon.
Samsung’s phone has a much smaller screen on the front, but otherwise the two have similarities.
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Both phones are integrated using the same basic concept: an aluminum frame on the outside and a mid-height hinge that pinches the phone in half.
Oppo’s phone is wider than Samsung’s and slightly thicker when open, and slightly taller. However, due to the hinge design, the Oppo closes almost completely to the brim and therefore has no gap near the hinge or decreasing thickness when closed. The main screen’s crease isn’t quite as sharp either.
The Oppo’s slightly larger size has its advantages, even if the phone is a little less compact than the Z Flip 4: it has a bigger battery and a screen with better aspect ratio.
Both have a very similar weight, but the Samsung one has the advantage of being IPX8 certified against water ingress.
Cover/outer screen
- Find N2 Flip: 3.26 inches – 382 x 720 AMOLED
- Z Flip 4: 1.9 inches – 260 x 512 AMOLED
In addition to providing visual distinction on the front of the phone, the Oppo’s cover screen offers a very different experience than the Samsung. While the Z Flip 4’s cover screen offers little widgets for useful information, the Find N2 Flip is – essentially – a miniaturized vertical smartphone screen.
At 3.26-inches diagonal, it’s much larger than the Galaxy’s 1.9-inch panel, which means that when you’re taking selfies to film yourself, you get a common, crop-free view of yourself and can fit in better.
It’s also more convenient for viewing your calendar appointments for the day, and gives you a host of other basic functions that you can do without opening the phone. Whether it’s replying to messages, checking the weather or checking pending notifications. It simply contains more data.
Rather, Samsung’s display is a quick way to check the weather, your calendar and see if you have any notifications, but it’s not an ideal size to actually interact with; for most tasks, it will always be best to use the internal display.
Foldable internal screen
- Find N2 Flip: 6.8 inches – 1080 x 2520 – 21:9 AMOLED display
- Z Flip 4: 6.7 inches – 1080 x 2640 – 22:9 AMOLED display
- Find N2 Flip: 120Hz – HDR10+ – 1600 nits peak
- Z Flip 4: 120Hz – HDR10+ – 1200 nits peak
Both phones have a fairly long and narrow screen inside, but with its 6.8-inch screen in a 21:9 ratio, Oppo’s is larger and has a more conventional aspect ratio. It’s still a bit narrower than most standard smartphones, but Samsung’s is even narrower, with a 22:9 ratio.
As for the other specifications, they are remarkably similar. They both come with a fullHD+ resolution panel, although slightly different due to preferred ratios. They’re both flexible AMOLED displays, and they can hit 120Hz refresh rates if needed.
The Oppo’s is the brighter of the two with a peak brightness of 1600 nits, although at 1200 nits peak the Samsung is still certainly bright enough to be perfectly visible in most conditions. Both models are also compatible with HDR10+ content.
As mentioned, the Oppo screen bends in a way that makes the crease inside much less noticeable, and that could mean better visuals overall. However, we’ll have to test both side-by-side to be sure.
Power and autonomy
- Find N2 Flip: MediaTek Dimensity 9000+
- Z Flip 4: Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
- Find N2 Flip: 4300mAh battery – 44W SuperVOOC wired charging
- Z Flip 4: 3700mAh battery – 25W wired charging – 15W wireless charging
Internally, both phones feature premium chips, although – unlike the book-style Find N2 – Oppo has partnered with MediaTek for the clamshell model. It is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ processor, which should deliver fast and smooth levels of performance.
Samsung opted for the proven Snapdragon chipset. Specifically, it’s powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which delivers high-level performance without the phone heating up or using too much battery.
When it comes to batteries, Oppo has achieved something quite impressive here. It has a 4300mAh battery, which is pretty big for a phone of this size, it’s way more than the 3700mAh cell inside the Galaxy Z Flip 4, and almost as much as what Samsung has in its much larger foldable: the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Plus, with its 44W SuperVOOC charging, it should recharge much faster than Samsung’s 25W charging capabilities as well. However, Samsung has the wireless charging option in the Z Flip 4. You don’t get that convenience with Oppo’s phone.
When it comes to storage variants, there are several for each phone. The one you get will probably depend on the region in which you buy it. Oppo’s model is available in 8GB/256GB, 12GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB versions in China where it was launched. Samsung also offers 128, 256, and 512GB models, but all come with the same 8GB RAM.
Camera
- Find N2 Flip: 50MP f/1.8 primary camera, 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera
- Z Flip 4: 12MP f/1.8 main camera, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera
- Find N2 Flip: 4K/30fps – FHD/60fps
- Z Flip 4: 4K/60fps – FHD/240fps slow motion
- Find N2 Flip: 32MP selfie camera
- Z Flip 4: 10MP selfie camera
Both devices have a similar approach when it comes to cameras. In other words, they both have a main camera and an ultra-wide camera, although the exact composition of these devices is different.
Samsung has taken a consistent approach and stuck two 12-megapixel sensors into its two main cameras on the front, and offers up to 4K resolution recording at 60fps, or 1080p resolution at up to 240fps. per second for super slow motion recording.
Oppo’s main camera has a large 50-megapixel Sony sensor and the ultra-wide has a lower resolution 8-megapixel sensor. Oppo has teamed up with Hasselblad for color processing, and it shows in the camera app too. As for video, it got a maximum resolution of 4K at 30fps and 1080p at 60fps. For those who care about video, Samsung will therefore provide a better experience.
As for the selfie cameras, Oppo has integrated a 32-megapixel sensor into its own hole-shot camera, while Samsung has opted for a lower 10-megapixel resolution.
price
- Find N2 Flip: £750 (equivalent price in China)
- Z-Flip 4: £999
We don’t know how much the Find N2 Flip will cost when it finally launches in global markets in early 2023, but its Chinese price of 6,399 yuan works out to around £750. This price is unlikely to be that low when it launches in the UK or Europe. We’d be surprised if it’s much cheaper than the Samsung phone. Oppo’s flagship phones aren’t particularly cheap in end markets.
Samsung’s phone has an original retail price of £999, but it can be found cheaper at various retailers now that it’s been on the market for a few months.
Conclusion
The biggest draw of the Oppo flip phone – in our opinion – will be its cover display. It’s a completely different approach to the outdoor screens offered by competitors and will allow for taking vertical full-screen selfies and video. It also has a much larger battery than the Samsung and – with Oppo’s usual optimizations – that should mean much better battery life. It also recharges much faster.
Samsung has a lot going for it, especially when it comes to brand power. This is a much more familiar brand to buyers in Europe and other revealed markets. Moreover, it is a brand that has become synonymous with flexible phones. Add to that a water-resistant design, the appeal of custom color choices, and wireless charging, and you have a very attractive device.
Written by Cam Bunton.